Bonus hunters in arbitration: Who are they and how to deal with them?

Hello, everyone! We continue to consider not the most pleasant things in affiliate marketing. 

Today, we will talk about bonus hunters – characters in the gambling industry that harm affiliate marketers, bookmakers, and iGaming platforms.

Who are bonus hunters?

Bonus hunters are players who like to cheat by creating multiple accounts to receive cash bonuses in casinos and betting shops without making a deposit.

When it comes to online casinos, there are almost no such players, as gambling usually does not offer cash bonuses without any deposits. But in betting, there are much more of them (especially if the bookmaker allows you to place a bet and lose nothing in case of a loss).

In fact, they do a lot of harm. Why? 

Bookmakers pay webmasters a lot for CPA. And bonus hunters simply put them in a conditional negative, because they do not recoup the money invested and constantly withdraw “nice” amounts without any replenishment of the balance.

The most common schemes:

• Fans of creating a “million” of accounts. When they get the news that a certain bookmaker allows them to safely bet on a minimum amount, they are right there. Bonus hunters create 10+ accounts and wager the bonuses they receive on each of them. If the bet is successful, this “virtuous” player withdraws his money and goes on hunting.
• They play with cashback. For example, a hunter has several accounts in different bookmakers, but no longer receives welcome bonuses. However, it’s not that bad, because there is a cashback. And this is where the most interesting part begins – the surebetting method. The player chooses one sporting event with the same odds but opposite outcomes in different bookmakers. He bets on opposite outcomes, and regardless of the winner, he will still get his money and lose nothing. Moreover, in case of a loss, he will receive cashback. He can accumulate it for weeks and then withdraw it to his real account with a high.

Why do affiliate marketers dislike bonus hunters?

To put it simply, these players kill traffic because they mostly receive a welcome bonus and are not going to continue playing the game after making a deposit. Therefore, user engagement does not bring the desired income to cover the affiliate’s expenses, which means a decrease in payback.

How to deal with bonus hunters and how not to make them a part of the target audience when launching ads?

You should start fighting them at the very beginning of your ad launch. To prevent hunters from becoming a part of the target audience, you should avoid “attractive” creatives for them. Don’t emphasize no deposit bonuses and avoid using such phrases:

• Promo code for a no deposit bonus.
• No deposit bonus.
• Bonuses without registration.
• Casino bonuses for registration.
• Spins for registration.
• Casino promo code.
• Etc.

It is better to tell players why they should choose your platform and what your advantages are rather than “luring” them with bonuses, cashback, etc.

If bonus hunters do creep into the bookmaker’s office, they are simply blocked. (Yes, then they write a lot of negative reviews, which can also damage the reputation of the bookmaker or iGaming platform).

We can see that blocking is not always the best solution, so bookmakers do not stand still and start coming up with interesting schemes themselves:

• For example, they create more complex verification systems where you need to provide a passport photo, other personal data about the place of registration, or a video call.
• They also catch hunters by creating formal welcome bonuses.
• They use wagering. In order to withdraw their bonus, players have to spin it or wager it several times.
• Add requirements for a player to receive a bonus. For example, a time limit, a minimum bet size, etc.

To summarize

It is clear that it is impossible to get rid of bonus hunters completely. It affects casino earnings and, therefore, the income of media buyers. Companies are trying to fight this phenomenon. However, every countermeasure is always followed by a new action. And it is an endless game that webmasters may eventually lose.